Author: David Batashvili, Research Fellow at the Rondeli Foundation

This is a special issue of the Rondeli Russian Military Digest dedicated to the Russo-Ukrainian War, composed on the basis of numerous open sources.

 

Donbas Area – North

Russians attacked from the northwest and northeast in the direction of Svyatohirsk – a town located 16 kilometers north of Slovyansk, achieving limited advance.

Static shot from the Russo-Ukrainian War interactive map, Donbas Area – North as of the noon 20 May 2022. All information on the maps is approximate.

 

Donbas Area – Northeast

Russians took the town of Toshkivka, and continued to attack beyond it in the western and northern directions. They also took Orikhove, and proceeded to attack west of it towards the town of Hirske.

Russian forces kept attacking Severodonetsk, Zolote and Katerynivka without major advance. Attacks also continued on Komyshuvakha with outcome unclear at the time of writing.

Russians managed to advance northwest and south of Popasna. As a result of their westward advance, Russian forces created a serious threat to cut the Bakhmut-Lysychansk highway important for the Ukrainian communications with their forces defending Severodonetsk-Lysychansk area.

Donbas Area – Northeast, 20 May

 

Donbas Area – Southeast

Russians achieved new advances north and southwest of the town of Avdiivka.

Donbas Area – Southeast, 20 May

 

Donbas Area – South and Zaporizhzhia Area

Russians achieved a limited advance southwest of Velyka Novosila, taking the village of Pryyutne.

Donbas Area – South, 20 May

 

Siege of Mariupol

The process of surrender of the Ukrainian citadel at the Azovstal plant continued, apparently without being completed as of the time of writing.

 

Kharkiv Area

Ukrainians achieved another limited advance north of Kharkiv liberating the village of Dementiivka.

Reports emerged about Ukrainian forces crossing the Siverskyi Donets River near Staryi Saltiv and liberating villages Zarichne and Khotimlya on its eastern bank. Other reports suggested that Russians counterattacked near the national border retaking villages Ternova and Rubizhne. Veracity of either of these claims was unclear as of the time of writing.

 

No major changes occurred in the Black Sea area.